Summary

  • The BBC has been told that bodies are still washing up from the sea in Derna, a week after massive flash floods in Libya

  • There are fears for survivors in the city of Derna with not enough medicine and clean water for those who have been made homeless

  • A spokesperson for one aid organisation said trying to coordinate operations there was "a nightmare"

  • One official in eastern Libya has denied allegations that many of those killed were told to stay at home, saying soldiers told people to flee

  • Thousands of people were killed when two dams burst in the wake of Storm Daniel, washing away whole neighbourhoods in the city

  • Figures for the number of dead vary from around 6,000 to 11,000 - and with thousands still missing, the city's mayor says the total could reach 20,000

Live Reporting

Edited by Jamie Whitehead

  1. A country struggling to come to terms with disaster

    Anna Foster
    Reporting from Benghazi, Libya

    Rescuers work at the port city of Derna, eastern Libya, 14 September 2023EPA

    As we touched down at Benghazi airport the tarmac was quiet, with only a few small planes dotted around in the late afternoon sunshine.

    The peace was a stark contrast to the desperate aid and recovery efforts still happening along the Libyan coast.

    A Red Crescent team arrived not long behind us, ready to work in their scarlet uniforms. Carrying boxes of face masks, they headed quickly for the exit.

    They told me they had travelled from Tripoli in the west and were on their way to Derna, the worst affected area.

    Two airport staff sat together staring intently at a phone. The volume was turned up, and the sound of crying voices and driving rain carried loudly across the arrivals hall.

    I walked across and they showed me the video: women and children sobbing as they tried to shelter from the storm.

    Scrolling down the Facebook page there were more and more pictures of the destruction. This is a country in shock, battling to come to terms with the disaster that’s unfolded.

  2. Huge challenges for survivors

    Patrick Jackson
    BBC News

    Good morning. You join us as news continues to emerge from Libya on the scale of the devastation left in the wake of Sunday night’s flooding.

    Survivors have been describing terrifying escapes as surging water from two collapsed dams smashed through the city of Derna, washing away whole families and neighbourhoods.

    Aid agencies are trying to help survivors but face huge challenges with roads, bridges and the city's port destroyed, and power and phone lines down.

    It's still not clear how many people lost their lives, but it is clear that several thousand perished and many thousands more are left bereaved, traumatised and homeless.

    The BBC's Anna Foster has now arrived in Libya, while I'm here in London with my colleague Aoife Walsh and our team will be bringing you updates throughout the day.